JLM: Morgan Harrington/Fairfax Rape Victim - *Forensic Link* to MH #2

[Bonacker]

I don't necessarily agree with this. We have no idea how long JM hair was during the time MH was murdered. Remember, the sketch it what the 2005 rape suspect looked like. Also, I did a quick google search of 6 months dreadlocks growth and images of men with similar hair length popped up. It's easier to retain length when locking hair. JMO

We don't know how long his hair was in the fall of 2009 when MH was murdered, no. But various posts on this forum have mentioned that friends of JM supposedly commented that he started to "grow the dreds" after MH was murdered (as a way to disguise his appearance). I was responding to that theory/surmise.

Could someone with long hair "lock it" into dreads of similar length? Of course, yes . . . but has anyone at any time seen images or reports of JM with long hair, un-dredded? Like, say, an Afro? No. All the pre-dred images show close-cropped hair. It would be really memorable and remarked upon, I think, if he had long hair, between 2005 and 2009.

And there really is no way he could grow out close-cropped short hair to dreds of that length, 3" to 5" inches, in six months' time. Human hair grows at a rate of a half inch per month, approximately. But with black hair there's shrinkage. Put it this way, my daughter's hair, if you pull it straight, is actually about 15" inches long; but not pulled straight, just left natural, it only falls about 7" inches -- because it's like a spring/coil. So JM's 3" to 5" inches of dred represent more than 3" to 5" inches of real growth. Say, 6" or 7" inches of actual growth . . . and that would take a year or so, I believe.

Could he have had a weave put in, for fake dreds, as the O.P. above suggests? Sure. I myself have never heard of a weave or extensions that short. His hair in the April 2010 pix (supposedly from April 2010, anyway) look very much like natural hair being locked and grown out to me. Just IMHO. . . . Personally, I think maybe the photos are from April 2011, and the witness is mistaken about 2010; or, I think he started growing his short hair out into dreds before the MH murder, not after.

PS: His dreds in recent photos look very pristine, and more like extensions or weave than the April 2010 short dreds do, I think.

 

[Dr. Know?]

I wonder why the taxi cab was located "abandoned" on a farm? Was it the farm Morgan's remains were found? Guess the farm or why would make some sense to me, unless I missed it.

 

[Foxfire]

Mike Valerio ‏@MikeNBC12 · 9m9 minutes ago
Just In - State Police: Jesse Matthew never interviewed in 2009 in connection w the Morgan Harrington investigation

View attachment 60965

https://twitter.com/MikeNBC12

(I don't know enough about this reporter to respond)

Hell, if JM wasn't interviewed by the State Police after MH's abduction/murder, that is even more alarming, imo.. Jeeze, how clueless can you get? Guess, it's no wonder that there is a silent epidemic of missing persons in VA..

 

[ksj3]

Yes, she could have. But this was her first year living off campus.

Not that any of this matters now anyway, but first-year students can't have cars. She was walking and using bus systems all year her first year.

 

[LI-Mom]

As to Hannah getting a cab ride with her student ID: if her housing didn't require a card swipe to enter she may not have had it on her. My kid said students tend to carry it on them, but it isn't required.

As to the VSP comment above, they might have been scooped and didn't want that info out yet. The NBC29 article said taxi drivers were questioned by "authorities," so if they were questioned by anyone other than VSP the above statement is still true.

MOO

 

[ksj3]

Hell, if JM wasn't interviewed by the State Police after MH's abduction/murder, that is even more alarming, imo.. Jeeze, how clueless can you get? Guess, it's no wonder that there is a silent epidemic of missing persons in VA..

I think the whole rumor about MH being seen getting in a cab is just that - rumor. LE wouldn't have had any reason to interview all the cabbies without that, other than asking anyone to come forward who saw anything (like now) and perhaps a cabbie or two did.

 

[netsleuth]

"A source with knowledge of the investigation confirms to CNN that police recently seized a cab owned by Jesse Matthew. <modsnip>

http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2014/...owned-by-suspect-in-missing-uva-student-case/

 

[rossva]

The Fairfax victim left the US.

Depends on the DNA evidence. I am hoping that it's strong enough to support charges. I'm sure the Harringtons will push hard on this. The Fairfax case....the victim may not cooperate.

 

[ksj3]

As to the VSP comment above, they might have been scooped and didn't want that info out yet. The NBC29 article said taxi drivers were questioned by "authorities," so if they were questioned by anyone other than VSP the above statement is still true.

MOO

Ooh! You're good! Who would have done any interviewing/questioning? The case was handled by VSP, so would it have been they or local/city LE? Could they actually have interviewed all the cabbies (voluntarily) if she was seen getting in a cab? Would JM actually have voluntarily done that?

 

[jbowman55]

Coy Barefoot specifically states on his FB page tonight that he has found out that JM owned that van and worked as a subcontractor for Access.

Also imo it makes pretty good sense, Le Singe's question of whether the cab was the subject of the Nelson County search warrant that was covered on the scanner thread on 10-1 and 10-2.

I hope this is where the "cab" conversation is supposed to be.

 

[Foxfire]

http://www.wsls.com/story/26749679/details-emerge-about-matthew-on-night-of-harrington-disappearance

Details emerge about Matthew on night of Harrington disappearance
Posted: Oct 09, 2014

<sniped & BBM - read more>

Matthew, who police confirmed is also linked by forensic evidence to the Morgan Harrington case, was working as a cab driver the night Harrington was last seen. Harrington, a student at Virginia Tech at the time, disappeared on October 17, 2009 after leaving a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Her remains were found on an Albemarle farm three months later.

One taxi driver says a Charlottesville detective told him back in 2009 Morgan got into a cab the night she vanished. "From when I went back and talked to the city and I asked which taxi cab, she said 'yes she did jump into a taxi cab her last time being seen alive,'&#8221; said Melvin Carter, Jr. of Carter's Taxi.

Two of Matthew's former taxi co-workers have told federal and state authorities Matthew was working the night Harrington disappeared.
We have learned that authorities have recovered the taxi cab Matthew was driving. It was found two weeks ago on a farm.

We learned that authorities interviewed Matthew in 2009, following Harrington's disappearance, along with dozens of other cab drivers working on October 17.

We also know at least 20 people involved in Charlottesville area cab businesses have been interviewed by federal and state authorities. Several of those interviews happened Thursday. We're told investigators are asking about who was working that night, if they have seen photos of Harrington, and if they noticed a change in Matthew's behavior.

A state police spokesperson has not commented on the developments.

 

[ksj3]

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/c...4-94ef-0017a43b2370.html#.VDdIvMjGIxU.twitter

More detail. Taxi cab owner claims 20 were interviewed by "investigators", at least 75 taxis in service that night.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

I remember reading about the case of a young woman who was at a bar in NYC and she was very intoxicated so the bouncer pretended he would take her to her home. Instead he took her to his apartment, tied her up, beat, raped and murdered her. He was a huge muscled brute as big as JM and she was a very petite woman yet she was able to scratch him and it was his blood that was under her fingernails that got him convicted.

So I do think Morgan could have scratched JM. When someone is trying to rape and/or murder I think the victim has super human strength due to being so terrified and know they are fighting for their life, literally.

IMO

I guess what I was thinking about were facial scratches, when of course there could be scratches anywhere on the perpetrator! (((Duh)))

 

[jamicat]

Based on the possible forensic links in multiple locations: rape in fairfax, MH body at Anchorage Farm, HG evidence in JM's car, possible DNA in taxi they found that he had been driving in Oct 2009.... it looks to me like LE is getting enough evidence to (at the minimum) put this guy away for a lot of years FOR ANY ONE of these crimes. They are holding most of their cards close to the chest... they don't want to have to move the trial. If protracted, that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and they also want the community the satisfaction of seeing justice done at home. That's why there is always a balance between releasing some information to stimulate the public, and holding back a lot more so that hey can find an impartial jury and make sure the venue is not changed.

IF LE gets a direct DNA match between JM and the DNA in the Fairfax case and MH, yes, they would have some important evidence in those cases. Depending upon what the forensic link is between the MH case and Hannah's it could impact those cases. But for now, it's speculation as to what the link is and could be. We'll find out soon. It's being process with a direct DNA contribution from JM.

But lack of info can also mean just that. If LE does not find Hannah, and the only forensic evidence they have is that Hannah was in JM's car, something already a foregone conclusion, It may well be an uphill battle for the DA to get JM for much of anything in Hannah's disappearance. He does not have to tell what happened with him and Hannah or where he last saw her or when. His perogative. That alone isn't going to convict him.

As for the DNA link, it's possible that MH was in JM's taxi or JM touched that Panera shirt of hers but nothing else could be inferred from the evidence. You can't just make up a story linking the evidence and pick that as what you want to be reality. It has to be beyond reasonable doubt so any other reasonable explanation can shoot it down, since there has to be a presumption of innocence for the defendant in a court of law.

Right now the only charges levied against JM in VA are the Reckless Driving and the Abduction with Intent to Defile. Don't know if any other charges were filed yet for leaving the state with outside warrents. No charges yet regarding the MH case. It's going to take time to see which way things go.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

That can be a challenge, in both legal and community relations terms. And Longo encountered problems along those lines earlier in his tenure in C'ville.

"...The serial rapist case brought Longo some of the most strident criticism he has faced in his time in Charlottesville. As police hunted for the man responsible for a string of rapes in the area, city police were accused of profiling and harassment for asking black men to submit mouth swabs for DNA testing.
At the time, police were asking black men for samples if they were reported to resemble a composite sketch of the rapist."

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/l...cle_c1ee131c-c4b3-54ab-b80d-c67cbbdb2766.html

Sure, that makes total sense...how dare he use the sketch to actually look for people! (((Rolling my eyes))) If the man is identified as black and the sketch shows a black man, it seems pretty unlikely that they're going to get a lot of tips about white guys that match the sketch. But there I go again with my logical thinking.

ETA my sarcasm was not directed towards you, Momnva! I meant it towards the people criticizing Longo.

 

[Appalachiagirl]

If he walks for some reason, he will have to go into hiding. I have never before witnessed such a blood thirsty people. I am usually pretty liberal and laid back, but I don't think even I would have any moral or ethical dilemma with him getting the needle.

 

[jamicat]

Not that any of this matters now anyway, but first-year students can't have cars. She was walking and using bus systems all year her first year.

Hannah was a second year student but it was her first year living off campus. Freshmen are almost all dormed within the UVA campus, and there isn't a whole lot of going off campus for many of them. When you move off campus, you tend to start getting to know the area outside UVA a lot better, though most undergraduates do stay in "the Corner" for the most part. This is typical of any number of colleges unless fully integrated within a city and distance. Even so there is almost always a core area where most students remain. That mall area, though not far, was outside of that area for Hannah.

May not much bus use or taxi use for ugs either. Plus as an off campus resident, she wouldn't need her campus id to get into her room, and might not even have had it with her. She didn't have a person, nor was she wearing a lanyard with an id around her neck. Possible they were in her pocket, but she was going to off campus parties, didn't think she'd need money or id (those frat parties certaiinly were not checking iDs) That could have been an impediment to taking a cab/

A UVA stiudent did comment on here and pretty much affirmed that ugs did not hang around the mall area and stayed in "the Corner" part of Charlottesville. Whether Hannah had a car or not, didnt matter, she wasn't using it that night, nor did she use the bus or the taxis. Ironic, as she had helped someone disoriented get on a bus not long ago as she reported on her Facebook page.

 

[jamicat]

Sure, that makes total sense...how dare he use the sketch to actually look for people! (((Rolling my eyes))) If the man is identified as black and the sketch shows a black man, it seems pretty unlikely that they're going to get a lot of tips about white guys that match the sketch. But there I go again with my logical thinking.

ETA my sarcasm was not directed towards you, Momnva! I meant it towards the people criticizing Longo.

There are a number of ramifications to giving your DNA. That there have been crimes committed by white folks and they haven't been the object of an effort to get their DNA into police files was one issue. Having your DNA on file with the police can be a real hassle and get yourself under scrutiny if it ever comes up in investigations and evidence. And you could well be innocent but in a bad situation. You ride a cab before the cabbie abducts someone, and yeah, your DNA could be found in that cab, and sometimes the evidence can look bad for you or suspicious.

 

[GhostGhost]

,
Ride numbers don't help if you want to go to a Party and you nor the Safe-driver knows where the Party is.

Just saying. I think she was lured with the promise of a Party.

moo

'

 

[jamicat]

If he walks for some reason, he will have to go into hiding. I have never before witnessed such a blood thirsty people. I am usually pretty liberal and laid back, but I don't think even I would have any moral or ethical dilemma with him getting the needle.

Like Casey Anthony?